your substrate looks very white, a lot of CaCO3 based substrates are white and are generally not intended for most freshwater tanks - did the packaging say something like 'does not affect pH/water chemistry' or 'safe for freshwater aquariums'

It looks like white PFS to me.. that's what I have, and it didn't mess with my parameters. It's stupidly bright. Though I have seen similar substrate that was made to change the water chemistry..Posted via Mobile Device

it is pfs....i was told it would be fine to use and i rinsed it for about a half hour. it wasnt even cloudy when i set it up. when using that kind of sand do i need to add extra chemicals for the plants?

I used PFS as well and it will not effect your PH or GH or anything like that. The only 'problem' with it is that there isn't anything in there that your plants can really use as for as nutrients. Plants like anubias will be fine just getting their nutrients from a liquid fertilizer (like Flourish) dosed directly into the water column. Swords and crypts (and probably some others) are very heavy root feeders. Swords will developed a very extensive root system and it will be best to supplement them with root tabs. Just put a root tab near the base of the plant and replace it per the directions on the box. Seachem also makes root tabs as well.

Do you have any other plants planned? I would also suggest java ferns, they are similar to the anubias as far as fertilizing and care.Posted via Mobile Device

nothing else yet, wanted to make sure that these plants were ok before adding anything else.i was told maybe water sprite and wisteria would do well. i wanna wait first. also how soon should i add nutrients since i just got these yesterday. i dont wanna wait too long.

I'd add them as soon as you can, but you will only be dosing the liquid ferts once or twice a week (probably once right now since you don't have too many plants). It's not anything that's a dire emergency.. don't worry if you can't get any for a couple days or a week. They might even be fine longer.. it just depends on what they may have stored up and what they can get from the water column from fish food / waste.

I'm no expert but depending on your tap water and your fish load your anubias may end up fine without a liquid fert. I'd still suggest the root tabs regardless though. Plants need a balance of 17 nutrients to really be healthy, and a complete comprehensive fertilizer will take the guess work out of trying to get that balance. Do you know your water's GH? Sometimes minerals are also necessary to add if you have very soft water.Posted via Mobile Device

it was like 120 but i need a better test kit....i just got test strips that im not happy with....thanks for advice on their food....itll be about two days before i can get back to the store. what would be a good gh for them?

Byron has helped me a lot with GH in my tanks since I've got super soft water. I believe though, if your kit is correct, your water is just slightly hard and that should work fine. He says he shoots for around, I think, 6-7 dGH, which I think is around where yours is at. Someone else can chime in if I'm wrong. I've only measured mine in dGH, but from what I'm reading, you just divide the ppm number, in this case 120, by 17.86 to get the degrees of GH.. which is about 6.7 for you. I try to keep mine between 5-7 dGH.Posted via Mobile Device

The GH sounds good, very good if that number is accurate. Walstad says 4 dGH is the minimum to provide sufficient calcium, and I work to keep my tanks somewhere around 5-6 dGH and it has made quite a difference in the plants.

Swords are heavy feeders, so definitely get a liquid fertilizer like Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement or FlorinMulti by Brightwell Aquatics. These will feed all plants. Substrate tabs for the larger sword(s) is OK, but definitely the liquid regardless.

The sand is bright, but there are ways to handle this. Lots of wood on the substrate, floating plants, and even dried leaves like oak, popular, or almond leaves.

The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.[unknown source]

Something we all need to remember: The fish you've acquired was quite happy not being owned by you, minding its own business. If you’re going to take it under your wing then you’re responsible for it. Every aspect of its life is under your control, from water quality and temperature to swimming space. [Nathan Hill in PFK]